The Prestige (2006) April 6, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Christopher Nolan
The release of a new film from director Christopher Nolan is never a bad thing. He confused us with the magnificent Memento back in 2000 and successfully tackled the comic book movie with his reboot of the Batman franchise in Batman Begins (the sequel to which is due out in 2008, entitled The Dark Knight). This time it’s a period piece, but like a lot of Nolan’s work, behind the top hats and silk evening dresses lies a tale about the dark side of human nature.
The story follows two amateur magicians; Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who become entangled in a bitter rivalry that drives both parties to increasing lengths to discover the others methods. Angier is a showman who knows how to dress a trick and make it into a ‘performance’, but needs new illusions. Borden, on the other hand, lacks the showmanship of his rival but just happens to have the greatest trick ever seen in London. Angier can’t believe his eyes and so sets out on an all-consuming quest to discover the method and reclaim the audience he feels he deserves.
First off, Christopher Nolan’s direction is superb, as expected. The film utilises a non-linear narrative technique, although it’s got nothing on Memento in this department. The script is extremely tight too, keeping the rivalry storyline bubbling from practically the first frame to the very last. While the screenplay is adapted from Christopher Priest’s novel of the same name, you never feel the missing elements that are a necessity of book-to-screen transitions.
Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale put in excellent performances as the duelling illusionists, while Michael Caine is also fantastic as the knowledgeable trick designer. Scarlett Johansson’s role is slightly more understated and her character a tad underused, simply fading into the background by the end of the movie. There are plenty of other aspects to admire however, including the great set work, especially in the stage sequences, and period themeing both in terms of costumes and décor.
There are plenty of twists as can only be expected in a movie which deals with the art of misdirection, and while you may guess some of them slightly ahead of time, it actually barely matters. The real mystery is kept hidden for most of the picture, with an ending that still comes out strong thanks to the acute way the characters are developed over time. The film’s only detraction is that it turns a bit fantasy in parts and although this doesn’t confuse the story as it so easily could have, it halts the investment you have in the realism instilled by the rest of the movie.
It’s not Nolan’s best work either in writing or direction, but that’s a difficult thing to achieve given his previous output. Despite this, The Prestige is still incredibly enjoyable and entertaining, while smartly focusing on the flawed human nature of the people who perform these illusions, rather than simply the tricks themselves.
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